Working weekends bring me back to my time studying physics. The 8+ hours of studying/cramming/grinding and that fuzzy brain feeling mixed with hyperactivity from sitting still too long. I have since managed to kick the caffeine, so at least I’ll be able to keep a normal bedtime. I shouldn’t complain too much. If this project goes through I will be catapulting myself out of the ranks of the underemployed.

I played around with my audio recorder to check podcast potential because I usually just do interviews for transcribing and I wanted something better than my Blackberry. I have an Olympus DM-520 Digital Stereo voice recorder. I am blown away by the audio quality in a quiet room. It seems that I’m setup for some amazing audio books. Hopefully some of mine will wind down or conclude so I can get started. For some inexplicable reason, this recorder makes my voice sound really, really good. Lower quality recordings can make me sound squeaky, or worse, like a 5 year old, but I seem to be firmly set in the adult range. I’ve also determined that I can read the most disgusting, hilarious stuff aloud with no stuttering or inappropriate laughter. (It helps if you re-read the problem bits once of twice before you make the recording pass. Again, another great thing about my recorder is that I can seamlessly pause.)

So, podcasts and audio books are on! It’s going to be awesome!

Tomorrow is massive review catchup. I have two due Tuesday, and Tuesday morning I’m going to an advance screening of a movie that may prove to be very exciting and is very hyped. I’m happy, I usually don’t get the good ones (unless they only show at 10am, then I get them.)

Today whilst ambling through an online forum I discovered Neovella, a very cool site that lets you take turns collaboratively writing stories with others. Myself, anonymously-obsessed-boyfriend and Trish, another writing buddy jumped on the bandwagon.

Wanting to do something absolutely hilarious and possibly (as of this writing absolutely) disgusting, I started a story called Bobby the Incontinent Space Cadet. Most viewers will find it disturbing. Clearly I never got over the poo jokes of my childhood.

It’s disturbed, but it’s genius. I love this site. Best tool ever to not take yourself too seriously. Especially since my serious work is getting a sweet facelift. I’ve learned a lot, and it will be better off for it.

This weekend is the Anarchist Bookfair. I’ve been told it’s good fun. Some geeky events, gardening, edits and creating the most freaked out weirdness possible with Neovella seems to be the plan for this weekend. Oh, and I have some products to design. I finally received some instructions so I may begin! Those government grants will never see it coming.

While in proofreader purgatory, I’ve started out on two new stories. One is Locked Out, which I’m pretty happy with how it’s proceeding. The main character really comes through clearly today. I like her. She’s strong and professional with a realistic case of self-doubt.

The other story (maybe even a novel) is going to be the most twisted love story I can come up with. This pretty much assures me that it will be high quality nightmare fuel. The main character is an outcast dreamer who is very vulnerable. It’s kind of funny how all of my heroines contrast each other. They’re all so different, and they probably wouldn’t get along with each other if you put them all into a room together.

I went out and wrote on my laptop in the grass today, until the neighbor’s kids came out and ruined the ambiance. It’s not their fault, but I really can’t work on anything with screaming and crying toddlers within earshot. The sun felt great, and I was pretty productive.

It was a good day for working, too, but that’s not really interesting to write about. At least I have lots of material for my short story challenge.

After posting some short story non-fiction, I was surprised at how well it was received. 43 reads in a little over 24 hours, and two votes.

To be honest, all that story is was me writing down old, horrible memories in a deep fit of depression.

Now, people want more. Of course I have the autobiographical subject matter to continue with the series, but that last story was incredibly painful to write.

Another thing is that somebody left a comment that they cried. That’s a little steep, knowing that just my words alone can evoke that kind of emotion.

I am exhausted. First re-write of short story done, supposedly vastly improved. At least it’s not at the “who wrote this crap?!” stage. I hate that stage. At the risk of repeating myself, I’m my worst critic, and I’m also my favorite bullying target.

I’ve come to notice that most of the premises of my stories are profoundly morose and messed up. Sometimes I wonder if writing is like a mirror into your subconscious, and it really is you, just the parts hidden from prying eyes. The parts from the nightmares.

I finally heard back from that internship, seems like I’ll be reviewing local events in the July and October issues, plus online. Work is stressful due to a deadline for a sizable government business grant coming up. While I’m pleased that somebody has enough confidence in me to trust me with generating the required documentation for that kind of endeavor, I really hope I don’t mess it up, either.

I was working away developing IT products and services packages, minding my own business. And what happens?

I get a letter in the mail. After two months and a couple of emails, Quebec has finally decided to make my business registration official and has sent me my business number.

I’m pretty stunned. I’d figured they’d take much more time, or excessively nitpick my company name. Today, I went from self-employed consultant to business owner.

This is a whole new ball game. And frankly, it’s a little intimidating.

It seems this is a fortuitous week. I get a sweet project and essentially a way more awesome version of my old job back, and now I’m in business and can do all these awesome business things I’ve been planning to do. Such as making more money. In addition, I finish my first short story and come up with a few more ideas.

This week is shaping up to be incredible, and surreal. Hopefully that internship of mine will call me up and we can get started with that soon as well.

Like this:

I’m not bringing out the champagne just yet. More like a hacksaw. The first parts of the story illicit a “who wrote this crap” reaction. The rest needs significant cleaning up, and I need to break my love affair with certain words.

I’m still in love with the concept as much as I was initially. Now that it’s all down on paper, I can start doing it real justice. I’m my own harshest critic, and I know that I can be a real monster.

I’m hoping I’ll be comfortable enough to put it out here for the world to see in the middle of May.I have a slight fear that I’ll pigeonhole myself into writing nothing but existential zombie stories forever. However, since I’m not exactly a traditionalist, I don’t give a damn about what anybody expects of me anymore. I’ve spent enough of my life worrying about shaping up to other people’s dreams. So I’ll write whatever lame genre fiction, nonfiction or literary prose I like, and everyone gets to like it!

I might have to hold off on starting the edits for a couple of days, because I have a giant consulting project to research and work on, with preliminary mind-maps due Monday.

Maybe the technological and creative pursuits give me a kind of balance and grounding. I can always turn one off and work on the other, if needed.

Maybe I’ll go play more Portal 2. I’m on chapter 7 and I really want to know what happens!